Joseph Thomas Armada Noriega is a surgeon by trade and it must be his innate motivation and dedication to fully commit to whatever he takes on that also makes him a very talented photographer. As he says about photography, "My love for this form of art will never fade away - it's my escape from reality, my little haven of peace and my comfort from all life's little hurts."

Hailing from Manila, Philippines, he has a portfolio filled beautiful cityscapes, stunning portraiture and some amazingly surreal self-portraits. Though you could spend hours looking through all of his photos, we wanted to show you one that, to us, felt incredibly powerful.

Called The Winds of Change (Storms of Your Life), it's a black and white shot of man solemnly walking while menacing clouds brew overhead. I love what he writes about this shot.

"Most of the time, we have dreams – wishes for a future life we have carefully planned as children. But then Life interferes – She brings us to places we have never dreamt we would tread.

"She gives us surprises, just like an onion bulb in a beautifully packed Godiva Chocolate Box. She tells you to turn right, when the fastest and safest route is always to your left.

"She has the power to blow you away with her magical winds far, far away from your intended destination.

"Lost.

"But what do we do? Do we whine and cry and curse? No we don’t – We embrace changes that come to us. We learn to love them even in the most uncomfortable situations. We learn to live these changes and make a better, stronger person, ready to face another great shuffle by life herself."